As a girl growing up in a Kenyan village, Ruth Oniang’o was quite literally a survivor: Her parents lost seven children to malaria. “When you are a survivor at that very early age, you are aware of death. You see your parents suffering, and I think it changed my whole view of life,” she says. “So very early on I wanted to do something that would help humanity.”

Then when she was a teen, Oniang’o saw how a young cousin’s protein deficiency resulted in serious health problems, and decided that studying nutrition was her calling. “I don’t want to deal with sick people—I want to use food to prevent these kinds of conditions,” she remembers thinking.

These early insights led Oniang’o to a lifetime of working for better food and nutrition policy to help the most vulnerable, serving in many roles including legislator, activist, policymaker and teacher. Three decades ago she founded the nonprofit Rural Outreach Africa, which deals with nutrition and food security in Kenya. In 2003 Oniang’o began a five-year term as a member of Parliament in Kenya, advocating for passage of bills addressing biosafety and nutritionists and dietetics. And internationally, she has worked on nutrition policy with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Gates Foundation. Among her many accolades is a lifetime achievement award from the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA), presented to her in Cape Town, South Africa, in June 2014.

Today Oniang’o, who is formally retired but still works in her field, sees tremendous opportunities and challenges for her continent. “The light is shining on Africa right now,” she says. “Unfortunately, we still face food insecurity and civil strife. There’s opportunity for us to make headway, to develop economically, to feed our people.

“So much is undone,” she adds. “We still depend on rain; only 4 percent of irrigable land in Africa is actually irrigated.

Spreading the word about good nutrition
Oniang’o began working with local Kenyan populations early in her career while doing field research for her doctorate in food science and nutrition at the University of Nairobi. During that time she found cases of kwashiorkor and marasmus—forms of malnutrition typically affecting young children. “It was not evident then that [Kenya] had these cases of malnutrition. But I saw them at the rehabilitation centers. I went to homes. I saw such bad poverty [and] it really saddened me,” she says. “And that’s when I decided, ‘I’m going to stay in Kenya and work in Kenya.’”

Taking on the formulation of food guidelines, Oniang’o became a government advisor who helped with training materials for both university students and for mothers and the general public. She has also been a pioneer in the academic study of food and nutrition in Kenya, holding the country’s first post as professor of nutrition at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology in Nairobi.

In the several decades that Oniang’o has been teaching—including advisory roles in Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe—the nutrition field here has begun to flourish, resulting in new products (such as high-quality flours from locally grown sorghum and millet), and more jobs for skilled graduates. And as editor of the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development, which she founded in 2001, Oniang’o continues to mentor students.

“More and more, we’re encouraging students to take both food and nutrition,” she says. “With the scaling up of a multidisciplinary approach, they have a much better chance of getting jobs.”

Ultimately, says Oniang’o, “Food is not just what you eat – ‘I’m busy, I’m running around, I just want to put something in my mouth that can sustain me and give me the energy and give me the nutrients as I go about my work,’” she says. “Food is also [that] which can sustain me when I am recovering from disease. Food is also what can help me to grow.”

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JANUARY 2018: Food Values, Technological Innovations, Savvy Consumers Will Power Major U.S. Food and Nutrition Trends To Watch in 2018 • Personalized Nutrition: Ready for Prime-time? • In the Know about Nutrigenomics • Natural vs Artificial Flavors: Name That Funky Flavor • One of Our Food System’s Helping Hands: GMOs • Double Down with Dairy & Yogurt • Food Safety Sprouting Up

DECEMBER 2017: A Chef’s Recipe for Stopping Food Waste • How to Talk to Your Cab Driver About Nutrition • How to Build a Healthy Plate at Holiday Parties • A Mindful Approach to the Holiday Party Buffet • Resetting After a Holiday Splurge • The (not so) Secret Nutrition Perks of Our Favorite Holiday Foods • Kosher, Halal, Pareve: Get to Know the Labels • Better Know a Dietitian: Meet Alyssa • Better Know a Nutrition Scientist: Meet Ali

(No November 2017 publication)

OCTOBER 2017: Editor's Note: Back in MY Day ... • A Spotlight on Low-Income Older Adults • The Benefits of Preservatives in Our Food • Is It Necessary To Avoid All Processed Foods? • How Hydrocolloids Make Our Favorite Foods Taste Better • All About Animal Welfare: From Farm to Fork • A Look Inside the Chicken Coop: Poultry Production Insights • Eat This for ... • What is Saccharin? • What is Monk Fruit?

JUNE 2017: Editor's Note: Eyes on the (World Food) Prize • What’s On the Table for Menu Labels? • It's Not Always Greener on the Other Side • Let's Get Back to Basics on Genetics • Enjoy a Variety of Food? Thank a Pollinator. • Listen Up About Listeria: Here is the 411 • Make Room for Legumes • Keeping Your Kids Hydrated and Healthy • 6 Tips for Mindful Eating • New Nutrition Resources to Help “Build Back My Muscles” • What’s in the Dietitian’s Bag? • Better Know a Nutrition Scientist: Meet Julie

APRIL 2017: Editor's Note: March for Science a Day for Renewal • A Few Thank Yous for Food Science • Earth Day and Agriculture: Let's Celebrate the Planet! • A Deep Dive on the 2015-2020 Dietary Guideline's Inclusion of Caffeine • Conserving Water on the Farm and in the Home • Foods that Promote Cardiovascular Health • The Rising Agent: Nutritional Yeast • Sorghum: From Salads to Syrups, This Grain is Cropping Up Everywhere • Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling Joins IFIC as Vice President

FEBRUARY 2017: Editor’s Note: There’s Good News, If You Know Where To Find It • How To Eat Out Without Pigging Out • Mindful Eating • Top U.S. Food and Nutrition Trends in 2017 • Yes We Can! Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science • Seasonal Produce: Winter Fruits and Vegetables • A Nutrition Showdown: Canned Green Beans vs. Fresh Green Beans • INFOGRAPHICS: Foods for Maintaining a Healthy Weight, Making Sense of Sugars: Fruit in All Forms

(No January 2017 publication)

DECEMBER 2016: Editor’s Note: Kicking the Holidays Up a Notch • Penne for Your Thoughts: Four Holiday Food Gift Ideas • How to Make Over Your Holiday Leftovers • The Top Food Insight Blogs of 2016 • Top 8 Articles on Partner Sites in 2016 • Food Security 102: What Is Being Done To Reduce Global Food Insecurity? • The Vitamin B Complex: It's Actually Not That Complex • Think You Have Food Poisoning? Here's What You Should Do • A Guide to Making Sense of Sugars

NOVEMBER 2016: Editor's Note: Navigating the Thanksgiving Table • Survey: Americans Don’t Know How Much Food They Waste • Everything You Need to Know About Antibiotic Resistance • Q&A: Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance in the Food Supply • Making Sense of Added Sugars Labeling • Tackling a Food Thermometer Is Easy: How To Practice Food Safety While Tailgating

OCTOBER 2016: Editor's Note: Global Perspectives on Food Days • Improving Public Understanding of Antibiotic Resistance • A Colorful History of Food Colors • More About Natural and Artificial Food Colors • Preserving the World's Land from Soil Degradation • Healthy Eating for Two (Infographic) • Maximizing Your Macronutrients During Pregnancy • Make Your Next Taco Truck Trip Muy Bueno • 'Tis a Good Time To Try Tisanes

SEPTEMBER 2016: Editor's Note: Passages • Question About Agriculture? Ask a Farmer on Twitter • Tips for Eating Safely on an International Trip • Bohemian-Style Cuisine in the Heart of Prague • Taking Stock in Fish Markets: Block Island and Seattle • Reducing Food Waste: Creating New Meals with Leftovers • It's Been a Lovely Summer for GMO Safety • Cutting Down on Sodium: 6 Alternatives to Salt • It's Tea Time!: A Guide to the Many Flavors of Tea

JUNE 2016: Editor’s Note: Grill of My Dreams • Your Guide to the Updated Nutrition Facts Label • Future of Food, Part IV: A Farmer with a Vision • Switzerland's Culinary Footprint in the U.S.: A Conversation with Amb. Martin Dahinden • Science Sent: GMOs Are Safe to Eat • The Microbiome: A Mega-Field That’s Just Getting Started

(No May 2016 publication)

APRIL 2016: Editor’s Note: “Marching” Toward Better Health • 3 Tips to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” This National Nutrition Month • 8 Spices from Around the World • Future of Food, Part II: Serving Up Meat, Over Glass • Tip o’ the Mornin’ to You: Don’t Feel Green on St. Patrick’s Day (or Any Day)

MARCH 2016: Editor’s Note: “Marching” Toward Better Health • 3 Tips to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” This National Nutrition Month • 8 Spices from Around the World • Future of Food, Part II: Serving Up Meat, Over Glass • Tip o’ the Mornin’ to You: Don’t Feel Green on St. Patrick’s Day (or Any Day)

FEBRUARY 2016: Editor’s Note: Future Foods, Coming to a Plate Near You • Future of Food, Part I: Food Innovations of Tomorrow • Why You Should Check Food Labels for Potential Allergens • Super Confused About Super Foods? An Educated Consumer Is a Healthy Consumer • How Librarians Prevent the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” • Citrus: Great Fruits for Heart Health

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015: Chew on This: A Food Technologist Puts Red and Processed Meat in Perspective • Understanding, Evaluating, and Communicating Nutrition, Part III: Research Funding • Training the Next Generation of Science Communicators, Part II • Achoo!: Food and Other "Prescriptions" for Surviving Cold and Flu Season • When Nutrition Gets Personal: Study Shows New Frontiers in Understanding Glycemic Response

OCTOBER 2015: Orphan Crops • Answering the Challenge of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" • Weeding Through the Facts on Herbicide Resistance • Rainy Day in Nashville Fails to Dampen RDs' Spirits • Understanding, Evaluating, and Communicating Nutrition, Part II • Training the Next Generation of Science Communicators, Part I